| GAME 11 - PHILANDER SMTH |
| Date/Time |
Saturday, December 11 - 2 p.m. |
| Location |
Little Rock, Ark. |
| Arena |
Jack Stephens Center |
| Records |
Little Rock (4-6, 0-0 SBC)
Philander Smith (6-4, 0-0 GCAC) |
| Watch |
ESPN+ |
| Listen |
106.7 FM The Buz2 |
| Live Stats |
StatBroadcast |
| Notes |
Little Rock | Philander Smith |
LITTLE ROCK - Little Rock continues its extended stay in central Arkansas by hosting cross-town foe Philander Smith Saturday at the Jack Stephens Center, tipping at 2 p.m. The game against the Panthers will stream live on ESPN+ with Hayden Balgavy and Patrick Newton handling the announcing duties. Trey Schaap will have the radio call on 106.7 FM The Buz2, beginning at 1:45 p.m.
GAME STORYLINES
• Little Rock and Philander Smith meet for the ninth time overall, but just the third since the 1969-70 season. The all-time series is tied at 4-4, but the Trojans have won the two meetings in the last 41 years - an 85-58 win in 2010 and a 102-59 victory in 2011, both of which were at the Jack Stephens Center.
• The game against the Panthers will be the second of an extended home stand for Little Rock, which plays five of six games at the Jack Stephens Center. The lone road game in that stretch is the short road trip to Conway to face Central Arkansas.
• The Trojans enter Saturday's game looking to break out of a slump in which they have lost six of the last seven games since starting the season 3-0. Little Rock has averaged just 62.9 points per game during that stretch while allowing 79.4.
•
Marko Lukic has led the Trojans in scoring in each of the past two games, scoring 23 at Arkansas and 15 against Missouri State, with
Isaiah Palermo ranking second in both of those games (17 and 12), leading the team in rebounding in each of the last two (10 at Arkansas, 7 vs. Missouri State).
• Little Rock is 3-1 at the Jack Stephens Center this season and 30-16 at home under head coach
Darrell Walker. The Trojans are 13-5 against non-conference foes at home under Walker, winning 10 of the last 12.
• Saturday's game features a pair of first round NBA Draft picks on the sidelines.
Darrell Walker was the 12th pick of the 1983 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks while Philander Smith's Todd Day was the eighth overall pick of the 1992 NBA Draft, selected by the Milwaukee Bucks. The duo combined for 3,270 points, 1,136 rebounds and 501 steals during their careers up in Fayetteville.
NEWS AND NOTES
SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
2021-22: 6-4 overall, 0-0 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference
Last Three Games: W vs. Wiley College (56-42), W at Texas A&M-Texarkana (66-55), L at Jarvis Christian (70-69, OT)
Head Coach: Todd Day (Arkansas, 1992). Sixth season at Philander Smith (66-70)
Key Players:
• #5 Robert Jordan (Sr., G/F): 15.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 43.6 FG%
• #4 Kenneth Perkins (Sr., F): 12.8 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 41.7 FG%
• #13 Aaron Johnson (Jr., G.F): 9.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 44.4 3FG%
• #1 Rayonte Childs (Jr., G): 8.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 45.8 FG%
• #55 Dontrell Johnson (Sr., F): 8.1 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 55.6 FG%
SERIES HISTORY
Little Rock and Philander Smith have met eight times previously, but just twice since the 1969-70 season. The all-time series is evened at four wins apiece, but the Trojans have won both contests since making the jump to Division I, defeating the Panthers 85-58 in 2010 and 102-59 in 2011, both of which were at the Jack Stephens Center.
LAST TIME OUT
A shorthanded Little Rock team fought 10th-ranked Arkansas for 35 minutes, but the depth of the Razorbacks helped them pull away for a 93-78 win at Bud Walton Arena.
Marko Lukic scored a career-high 23 points and
Isaiah Palermo notched his first career double-double, finishing with 17 points and 10 rebounds in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
DON'T SEE THAT EVERYDAY
Saturday's game will be a unique experience to witness a pair of head coaches who were both first round NBA Draft picks. Head coach
Darrell Walker was selected 12th by the New York Knicks in 1983 while Philander Smith's Todd Day was the number eight overall pick by Milwaukee in 1992. The last time it happened for Little Rock was when Walker faced 1985 top overall pick Patrick Ewing's Georgetown Hoyas on December 20, 2018, reuniting the pair of former teammates for the New York Knicks.
MARKO HEATING UP
Marko Lukic has started to find his scoring touch, leading Little Rock in scoring in each of the last two games. Lukic scored a career-high 23 points at Arkansas Saturday, then followed it up with a 15-point performance against Missouri State Wednesday. For his career, Lukic now has 23 double-digit performances, ranking second on the team behind
Nikola Maric's 52, as he has reached double figures in five games this season along with Maric and
Isaiah Palermo.
DOING IT ALL
Isaiah Palermo has emerged as one of the most consistent players of the 2021-22 season through the first 10 games. Palermo leads the team in field goal percentage (53.9%) and three point percentage (45.5%) while ranking second in free throw percentage (77.8%). He has led the team in scoring three times this season while pacing the Trojans in rebounding twice, finishing as the Trojans top steals and blocks producer three times as well.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Freshman guard
Jordan Jefferson made his Trojan debut Wednesday against Missouri State after missing the first nine games with a wrist injury. Jefferson logged 11 minutes and went 1-for-1 from the floor, hitting a three pointer from the corner.
PRESSING THROUGH ADVERSITY
Injuries have played a major factor early in Little Rock's 2021-22 season. Six different Trojans are currently out with injuries, combining for 52 missed games this season.
Myron Gardner,
Ethan Speaker and
Chris Walker have all missed the first 10 games due to preseason injuries with
Nikola Maric and
CJ White missing the last five after injuries sustained in Jacksonville and
DeAntoni Gordon missing the last two following his injury at Colorado State. Little Rock has used five different starting lineups with nine different Trojans earning starts due to those injuries.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELED
Philander Smith won't have to come far to suit up for Friday's game at the Jack Stephens Center, making the 4.3 mile trip west. The Panthers are one of four schools the Trojans will play this season that are located within 50 miles of the Jack Stephens Center (Arkansas Baptist, Central Arkansas and Champion Christian) and the second-closest behind Arkansas Baptist.
HOME SWEET HOME
Little Rock is in its 17th season at the Jack Stephens Center as the Trojans have posted a 154-85 (.644) all-time record in their on-campus home. Little Rock has posted a 69-26 (.726) mark against non-conference foes at the Jack, winning 10 of its last 12 dating back to the 2018-19 season.
OUR NEW HOME
Little Rock will have some new conference rivals on the horizon as the Trojans accepted the invitation to join the Ohio Valley Conference on Thursday, December 9. Little Rock will officially join the conference and begin competing on July 1, 2022, ending a 30-year run as a member of the Sun Belt Conference.
#LittleRocksTeam
